Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-13
THE KOUTS CALAMITY.
Railroad Employees Exam
ined By the Coroner,
BURIAL OF THE VICTIMS.
The Officials Continue Remarkably
Reticent-"NOne of the News
papers Business"

Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.
HUNTINGTON. ND, October 12.-The
testimony before the Coroner's Jury
as to the collision on the Chicago and
Atlantic Railroad near Kouts, COM
menced here to-day. A number Of
railroad employees were examined.
All claimed that the night was foggy
and that the danger signal could not
be see by those on the freight train
until they they were right upon the
passenger cars.
CONDUCTOR PARKS STATEMENT.
The evidence began with the
deposition of J. B. Park, conductor of
the passenger train. He testified that
his train was neatly two hours lae,
having broken an eccentric strap on
the engine between Hurlbut and
Boonegrove. "We stopped for water
east OF Boonegrove," he continued,
"and in three minutes train No. As
struck us on the rear end and
telescoped the sleeper into
the ladies' car, smoker and
baggage cars. The wreck took
fire at once. We got eighteen passen-
gers out; nine of whom were killed
and burned. The semaphore was
turned when we stopped. / did not
know that the freight train was COM
ing. When it struck us it was run
ming at the rate of 20 miles an hour"
DEATH STATISTICS UNoBTANABLE.
KoUTs, Ind, October 12.-It is
about settled that no one will ever
know definitely how many persons
perished in the Chicago and Atlantic
horror. Estimates continue to vary
from thirty down to ten. One more
of the victims has been Unidentified,
Miss Malone, who left Chicago on
Monday night, and was en- route for
Ireland. The bodies of DR.. Perry, his
wife and child were SO reduced by the
action of the flames that they were
easily gotten Into box fourteen feet
long by fourteen inches deep.
FUNERAL RITES.
During the morning an undertaken
drove into Kouts with three cheap cas-
kets. One was for the supposed re-
mains of A. Lindburg, who was crushed
in the shattered freight cars. In one
of the others were placed the inciner-
ated bones of the Percy family, and
the third was assigned to Miss Malone.
The victims were temporarily inferred
in peaceful graveyard near town this
afternoon.
| CLOSE-MOUTHED OFFICIALS.
Chicago, October 12.-The intense
secretiveness of the employees of the
Chicago and Atlantic Railway regard
ing the disastrous collision at Koutz
has elected much indignant comment
in this city. When first intimation of
the catastrophe was received in
Chicago, application for information
was made by representatives of the
associated press to the general offices
of the company. The only result OBJ
tainable was a statement that no Off
Ger of the company was in the city,
that no relief OF any kind had been
sent from Chicago, and in short that
no word had been received OF the acci-
dent whatever. Quite a similar
course Was since pursued at the COM
pany's headquarters.
ANOTHER REBUFF.
A reporter for local evening paper
called at General Manager Broughton' s
headquarters to-day for information
and was told by the chief clerk
that the accident is none of the news
papers business and none of the pub
lies business. The young man ais,
refused to furnish copy of the com.
pany's rules, which it was claimed had
been violated by its employees.